Secret Sin

February 9th, 2003

Brett Baker

v      Numbers 32:16-23

Introduction

We are instructed many times in Scripture that we are to maintain the purity of the Church by not allowing sin to remain in our midst.  At the same time, we also know that it is possible for sin to be present in our church and not know it—yet.  Just because sin is hidden from our eyes, it is no less sin and therefore we must gain a proper understanding of how this sin impacts our church and our families.

 

Secret sin is not sin that you might have committed.  This type of sin is one where we know that we have violated the law of God but for one reason or another we have rationalized away the sin and have kept it secret.  This type of sin is also not the kind where you forgot the holiness of God and fell into sin but immediately repented and fellowship was restored.  No, this type of sin is one that is ongoing and usually requires a tremendous amount of cover-up or additional sin just to keep it secret.  If you haven’t been guilty of this type of sin, please listen anyway because you or your children or your neighbor will someday be tempted to commit such a sin.

 

Being tempted to sin is not the same thing as sinning.  We still have a weak flesh that must be subdued by means of the Spirit (James 1:13-15).  I am not speaking today about being tempted.

 

Our prayer is that the Spirit of God will convict those who need convicting and those who don’t will refrain from unnecessary introspection.  We will be identifying four principles that will teach us how we are to think about God, sin and repentance.

 

v      Secret sin reveals a false understanding about the attributes of God.

Hebrews 4:12-13 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (NKJV)

 

¨       When we fall into sin, things are never as clear as when we are walking in fellowship with God.  We can’t see things properly because sin always clouds things; sin always makes things unclear and it never adds wisdom or clarity.  By our actions we are demonstrating that we do not have a proper understanding of God.  We will say or think something like “Well my spouse or my friends aren’t here; I’m all alone, therefore, there is no way that someone will find out about this sin.”  This rationalization just reveals how much our thinking has been clouded.

 

¨       God knows all things.  There is nothing that is hidden from His sight.  He knows all of the things you are thinking or doing.  As these verses say, all things are naked and open to His eyes.

 

¨       It is one thing to commit a sin in front of somebody who won’t ask any questions or make any demands.  But secret sin is clearly visible to God and He is one to whom we must give an account.  The One watching will demand reconciliation for the sin.

 

¨       There is nowhere we can go where we become out of the sight of God.  We cannot think that because you are in a city or a foreign land where no one knows you that somehow God can’t see us.

 

¨       One of the important things to remember is that forgetting these attributes about God is another sin.  Forgetting these things is in no way an excuse for sin it is just another sin that must also be confessed and repented.

 

¨       We have foolish reactions just like Adam and Eve; after they had sinned they decided to hide, forgetting that God can see them anywhere.

 

v      Secret sin is only temporarily secret because hypocrisy will not succeed.

Luke 12:1-3 1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 “Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. (NKJV)

 

¨       Christ teaches us that all things will be revealed.  The Pharisees wanted to have the appearance of a righteous one but did not live the life of a righteous servant of God.  To them Jesus says that all covered things or words spoken in darkness will be made known.  This hypocrisy will have as the fullness of its fruit disaster.

 

¨       We cannot cover our sin with other lies or with our reputations in the community because of Jesus’ warning that all will be made known.

 

v      Secret sin breeds additional sin.

2 Samuel 11:1-27

 

¨       In these verses we have the awful fall of a wonderful man of God.  We can see that David’s sin was possibly (not necessarily) progressive in that while his troops were out to battle he remained in Jerusalem.  The scripture says that this was a time when kings go out to battle, but David elected to stay home.  In this probable disobedience he lusts after another man’s wife and then commits adultery.  Attempting to cover it up, he then winds up committing murder and lying about all of it to the nation of Israel.

 

¨       This really happens with secret sin.  It typically starts out seeming that this sin can be easily managed.  But soon someone will ask you something that you will have to lie to them about and then another person and soon you have more things being juggled than you can keep up.

 

¨       When it finally gets out that you have committed this sin, some will respond, “How could such a Godly man/woman have committed such a thing?”  Well, it doesn’t just happen one morning out of the blue; usually it is the result of a sustained practice of compromise.

 

¨       The only way out of this sin is confession and repentance.

 

v      The consequence of secret sin doesn’t affect just the sinner—it affects families and others.

Joshua 7:1-5 1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water. (NKJV)

 

¨       There is a great misunderstanding in our culture that is called individualism.  Somehow this thinking that I am only responsible for me and for those things that I choose to be responsible for, has worked its way into the Church.  When we see that God will pour His wrath out on those in the family or community of those who harbor secret sin, we immediately say that that is unfair.  Christianity is not a religion of fairness.

 

¨       There is no way that you can continue in this sin and think that it will not have a negative effect on your family.  As Galatians 6:7 says God will not be mocked; those who sew corruption will reap corruption.

 

What To Do.

¨       If you are hiding sin in your life, confess it to God and repent today.  If you have lied or harmed someone you must confess it them as well.  Restitution must be made where damage has been done.  Mark Moses’ words, “Be certain that your sin will find you out.”  The Spirit of God will wake you up at night thinking about it; you will think about it when you try to pray; you will be faced with it when you try to read the Word.  And, it will affect your family.

 

¨       You can attempt to ignore the sin and try to persuade yourself that it will go away or that it would be damaging to your ministry or your relationships.  Remember, God is not mocked; His reputation is not at stake; He will be glorified no matter what happens.

 

¨       Or you can cry out to God for forgiveness and for the strength to put things right.  Once you do this, you will be able to once again walk in wisdom and the wonderfulness of the fellowship of God.

 

 

“Therefore, the remembrance of our sins will be no abatement of our bliss, but rather the contrary.  When Pharaoh and his host were alive and pursuing them, the Israelites were terrified but afterwards when they saw their enemies dead upon the shore their joy and triumph were not abated but heightened by the consideration of their number.

 

With respect to our sins being made known to others, I acknowledge with you that I could not now bear to have any one of my fellow creatures made acquainted with what passes in my heart for even a single day.  But I apprehend it as a part and proof of my present depravity that I feel myself disposed to pay so greater regard to the judgment of men, while I am so little affected with what I am in the sight of the pure and holy God.  But I believe that hereafter when self shall be entirely rooted out and my will perfectly united to the divine will, I should fee no reluctance supposing it for the manifestation of His glorious grace that men, angels, and devils should know the very worst of me.” John Newton, (1725-1807) English clergyman and hymn writer.